Relatives of the late Recce Squad officer Hudson Wasike, attached to Interior CS Fred Matiang'i, have attributed the genesis of his rocky marriage to the 2019 Dusit attack in Nairobi.
One of the relatives who spoke to the media on April 7, said that following Wasike’s involvement in the security operation during the terror attack, his relationship with the wife took a nosedive.
As a sharpshooter and Recce Squad officer, he was part of the team that got inside the Dusit Complex to neutralise the gunmen and rescue those who were trapped inside.
His relatives say he suffered an injury to the head that caused him trauma and contributed to a drastic change in his behaviour.
“I don’t know if he was drinking with his colleagues in the past but since his involvement in the attack, there was a notable increase in his alcohol consumption," one relative revealed.
"His relationship with his wife also suffered, forcing us to intervene to reconcile them on several occasions."
Another of the relatives said that Wasike’s wife had also been complaining that he had become violent.
A series of chats on his phone also made Pauline suspect that her husband was cheating resulting in her moving out of the matrimonial home days before the murder-suicide.
The Recce Squad is an elite team made up of GSU officers who are handpicked based on their exemplary performance and talent.
They are then taken through advanced paramilitary training at Magadi Field Training Camp, Solio Ranch and Ruiru College and then abroad in Israel, the US, and the UK.
The squad is best known for its skills in close-quarter combat and sophisticated weapons and tactics making it the top choice for VIP protection.
They make up a large number of officers at the Presidential Escort team which also extends to cover Deputy President William Ruto.
During the tragic Garissa University terror attack Recce Squad officers neutralised the assailants in about 30 minutes despite KDF and police having spent 11 hours at the scene.
“They thought the military and APs on the ground could handle the situation. We were considered an afterthought,” said one of the Recce officers at the time.
